Adjustable chair



@d. 21, 1969 N. o. TAYLOR E AL 3,473,845

ADJUSTABLE CHAIR Original Filed July 27, 1965 3 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTORS NORRIS O. TAYLOR WILMER P UHLER JOHN M. GARDELLA 8: JIM C. CAHLIK BY gm 4% A ORNEY @d. 23, 1969 TAYLOR ET AL 3,473,845

ADJUSTABLE CHAIR 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Original Filed July 27. 1965 INVENTORS TAYLOR NORRiS O WILMER P UHLER JOHN M. GARDELLA 8 JIM C. CAHLIK m d- ,JA

ATTORNEY Ud. 21, 1969 N. o. TAYLOR ET AL 3,473,845

ADJUSTABLE CHAIR Original Filed July 27, 1965 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 JOHN M. GARDELLA a m c. CAHLIK BY E ward G.

ATTORNEY tates ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An adjustable chair is provided with improved back rest and head rest construction preferably in the form of a two-piece back rest comprising separable top and lower portions, with the top portion having a support rod received in a guide slot of the lower portion for releasable engagement with a stop member.

This is a divisional application of application Ser. No. 475,181, filed July 27, 1965, now US. Patent No. 3,414,324, granted Dec. 3, 1968.

This invention relates to new and novel adjustable chairs, and more particularly to adjustable chairs which are ideally suited for use in the modern practice of dentistry.

An object of the present invention is to provide a dental chair of the type including a back rest, a seat rest, a leg rest and an arm rest wherein synchronous notions of various elements of the chair are designed such that a patient may be placed in the most convenient positions for the many and varied operations and allowing for the maximum functionability for a dentist or surgeon and yet retaining the dignity and comfort of the patient.

A further object of this invention is to provide a chair with a two-piece back rest portion thereby adapting the chair for use with interchangeable head rests.

Another object of this invention is to provide a shroud or cover plate which is pivotally mounted upon a rear portion of the seat rest so as to shield the actuating mechanism of the chair and prevent personal injuries.

With the above and other objects in view that will hereinafter appear, the nature of the invention will be more clearly understood by reference to the following detailed description, the appended claimed subject matter and the several views illustrated in the accompanying drawings:

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of an adjustable chair which is illustrative of the present invention.

FIGURE 2 is a vertical sectional view, taken through the back rest and head rest of the chair, and illustrates the manner in which an adjustably positionable head rest is mounted upon the back rest.

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary perspective view of the back rest and the head rest, with the head rest in a partially assembled position relative to the back rest.

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary perspective of the switches and mounting plate which are located on the dentists side of the back rest.

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary perspective view of a modified form of a back rest wherein an upper portion of the back rest is removable from a lower portion thereof to provide for interchangeability of head rests.

FIGURE 6 is a front elevational diagrammatic view of the two-piece back rest, with portions broken away for clarity, and illustrates the adjusting mechanism for adjustably positioning the upper portion of the two-piece back rest relative to the lower portion thereof.

atent Patented Qct. 21 1969 FIGURE 7 is a vertical section, taken on line 77 of FIGURE 6, and illustrates a support rod fixedly secured to the top portion of the back rest and slidably received within a guide slot in the lower portion of the back rest.

FIGURE 8 is a sectional view, taken on line 88 of FIGURE 6, and illustrates the control means for effecting adjustment of the support rod within the lower portion of the back rest.

Referring to the drawings in detail, there is illustrated in FIGURE 1 a new and novel adjustable chair, generally indicated by the numeral 10, which chair is particularly adapted for use in the practice of dentistry. The chair 10 includes a conventional lift-mechanism 11, which may be actuated by a conventional foot-operated switch 12 for vertically raising and lowering the chair 10.

A forwardmost portion of the chair 10 comprises a leg rest portion 13 which depends forwardly and downwardly from a seat rest portion 14. The leg rest portion 13 and seat rest portion 14 includes a cushion member 15 which extends, without interruption, from a rearward portion of the seat rest portion 14 to a lower portion of the leg rest portion 13 so as to provide a continuous uninterrupted supporting surface.

A back rest portion 16 is pivotally mounted, at 18, to an upstanding portion of the seat rest portion 14, and has a pair of arm rests 20 pivotally connected thereto, at 22. The back rest portion 16 has a head rest 24 adjustably mounted thereon by a strap member 25. The transition roll 26 is located at the juncture between the seat rest portion 14 and the back rest portion 16 so as to provide a continuous supporting surface between the seat rest portion 14 and the back rest portion 16 regardless of any changes in the relative position of the back rest portion 16 and seat rest portion 14.

Control means 28 are located on a side of the back rest portion 16 and include a rocker switch 29 for verti cally raising and lowering the chair 10, a push-button 3D for moving the back rest portion 16 to a reclined position, and a second push-button switch 31 for moving the back rest portion 16 to an upright position. The rocker switch 29 actuates the lift-mechanism 11 in the same manner as the foot-operated switch 12 so that the chair 10 may be adjusted by the switch which is most conveniently located for the dentist during any given operation. As will be more fully described, a dual set of control means is located on the other side of the back rest portion 16 so that the dentists assistant is also provided with convenient control for varying the positions of the chair 10.

As shown in FIGURE 2, the back rest portion 16 of the chair includes a back rest 38 having a pair of forwardly extending flange portions 39 which are adapted tobe pivotally connected at 40, above the plane of the seat rest 14. V

The reclining and tilting-up operation of the chair 10 is controlled by push-button switches 55 respectively. Switches 55 and 56 are located at the control panel 28 on the dentists side of the chair 10. The chair 10 can be brought to any angle of recline by simply pressing the correct switch for the desired motion. Pressing the switch 55 would recline the chair 10 and, by releasing the finger pressure from the switch, the chair motion will stop at any angle desired. Switch 55 will tilt the chair '10, i.e. the back rest 38, up from the horizontal position. This operation can be accomplished by pressing the switch 56, and holding it, or the switch 56 can be pushed in and then pushed clockwise to a lock and hold position. The switch will hold in this position throughout the travel of the chair and return to its normal position when the recline switch 55 is actuated.

A pair of brackets 108 are fixedly secured to a central lowermost portion of the back rest 38 and are pivotally connected to chair structure by a pivot pin 110 whereby a force exerted upon brackets 108 pivots the back rest 38 toward a reclined position about the pivot 40.

Each of the arm rests 20 is pivotally mounted at 170, on a respective one of the lateral flange portions 39 which are integral with the back rest 38. (See FIGURE 2.)

In modern professional practice, it is becoming more conventional for the dentist to be in a seated position during operation upon a patient. As a result, the dentists knees are located closely adjacent to the lower rear portion of the chair 10. In order to avoid interference with chair structure, and to preclude possible injury to the dentist, it is a feature of this invention to provide a cover plate or shroud 215 to provide an absolutely clear back rest free from all protrusions, thus eliminating any knee interference. As is shown in FIGURE 1, the shroud 215 is provided with a pivot stud 216 and is pivotally mounted at opposite sides of the rear of the seat portion 36. The shroud 215 is biased by a spring (not shown) upwardly toward engagement with the back rest 38.

FIGURES 2 and 3 illustrate the manner in which the head rest 24 is adjustably mounted on the back rest portion 16. The strap 25 is fixedly secured to a rear portion of the head rest 24, and is provided with a weight 25. The weight 25' and a portion of the strap 25 are insertable within an opening 230 which is located in the top portion 232 of the back rest portion 16. Head rest 24 is preferably provided with a storage compartment 234 for storing a roll of sanitary paper 236, and the paper 236 can be entrained over the top of the head rest 24 and be fastened at the bottom of the head rest 24 by a, combined holding-and-cutting strap 238.

FIGURES 5 to 8 illustrate a modified version of a chair, generally indicated by the numeral 300, which includes a two-piece back rest 302 comprising a lower portion 304 and a separable top portion 306. The top portion 306 is adapted to be equipped with the adjustably mounted head rest 24 in the same manner as was described in connection with the FIGURES 2 and 3.

The separable top portion 306 is provided with a sup port rod 308 which is fixedly secured thereto on brackets 310. A pair of channel members 312 and 314 are fixedly secured to a back portion 316, and cooperate with the plate member 318 to provide a guide slot 320 which is adapted to receive the support rod 308 therein. A stop member 322 is pivotally mounted upon the channel member 314 by a pivot pin 324 so that a portion of the stop member 322 extends into the slot 320 and is adapted to engage support rod 308 and hold the same in a vertically adjusted position. The stop member 322 carries a strike plate 326 which is connected to a biasing spring 328 mounted upon a hook member 330 which is fixed to one of the bracket member 314. Strike plate 326 is disposed for engagement by a spring-loaded plunger 332 which is mounted on an upright side of the lower portion 304. The upper portion 306 can be adjusted relative to the lower portion 304 by depressing the plunger 332 and moving the upper portion 306 to the desired vertical position, and

releasing lunger 332 so that spring 328 biases the stop member 322 into holding engagement with the support rod 308. From the foregoing, it will be apparent that the chair 300 is adapted for use with the upper portion 306 and head rest 24, and the chair 300 is also adaptable for use with previously known types of traditional head rests. More important, should a future design of a head rest be introduced into the profession, the removable top portion 306 can be changed Without changing the entire back.

Another feature of the chair 300 is that the back rest portion 306 may be removed, and the strap 25 of head rest 24 may be inserted into the guide slot 320 so as [0 place the head rest 24 upon the lower portion 304 and thus adapt the chair 300 for use with children instead of adults.

We claim:

1. In a chair, a two-piece back rest comprising a lower portion and a separable top portion, a support rod fixedly secured to said top portion, said lower portion including a guide slot for receiving said support rod, a stop member pivotally mounted on said lower portion adjacent to said guide slot, means biasing said stop member into engagement with said support rod, and release means for pivoting said stop member out of engagement with said support rod.

2. In a chair as defined in claim 1 wherein said release means comprises a plunger mounted on an upright side of said lower portion between a front side and a back side thereof.

3. In a chair as defined in claim 1 wherein said upper portion is provided with an opening therein along a top side between a front side and a back side thereof, a head rest including a weighted strap attached thereto, said weighted strap being adjustably positionable within said opening to maintain said head rest in a predetermined position on the front side of said upper portion.

4. A convertible chair comprising a back rest and a head rest, said back rest including a lower portion and a separable top portion, said lower portion including a slot, support means fixedly secured to said top portion and adapted for insertion into said slot, said top portion being provided with a second slot, said head rest including means adjustably positionable in a selected one of said slots whereby said chair is adaptable for use by persons of various heights.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,708,478 5/1955 Krewson 2974 10 3,317,244 5/1967 Ferro 297- 410 3,343,875 9/1967 Ferrara 2974l0 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,497,603 10/1967 France.

CASMIR A. NUNBERG, Primary Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R.

mg UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 3 I 473 I 845 Dated October 2 1 1969 Inventor(s) Norris 0. Taylor et a1 It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

fin column 1 line 32 "notions" should be motions In column 4, line 1, "lunger" should be plunger In column 4, line 50, "2,708,478" should be 2,708,475

(SEAIJ Attest:

WILLIAM E. SGE'HIYIER, JR. Edward M. Fletcher, Ir. Gemissioner of Patents Atflesting Officer 

